Document Actions
Sunday Round-up
posted at 2007-09-16 20:47 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
It’s been pretty quiet in the aftermath of the veto session earlier this week, but a few folks are taking advantage of the calm to put out some excellent work - and lots of it, too.
Two-fer #1: Christensen
The N&O’s Rob Christensen had two stories today. One, his regular column, is a look at how Senator Elizabeth Dole is gearing up for the next election cycle. With $2.8M in the kitty and more fundraising underway, there can’t be much doubt she’s planning to run again in 2008.
One interesting detail from the story:
“…[Dole’s strategists’] own poll, taken last week, shows Dole with a job approval rating of 64 percent and a disapproval rating of 23 percent. A majority of moderates and Democrats like her, according to the Dole poll.”
Hmmm. That’s a far cry from the numbers Public Policy Polling got one month ago today. Justin Guillory’s poll shows Dole’s approval rating at 48% approval, 41% disapproval. Granted, polls usually vary, but not that widely.
Christensen’s other story today was on the quandary of Rep. Walter Jones, who’s finding himself smack in the middle of the growing Republican rift over Iraq, spending, policy, etc.
Jones is also in the middle of another fight, one that bears watching: the battle between Club for Growth, a neo-conservative 527, and Votevets.org, a (nominally) bipartisan group that presents itself as pro-military and anti-Iraq war. Keep an eye on this one.
Two-fer #2: Ingram
Charlotte’s David Ingram is hot on the trail of Mecklenberg House Dem Beverly Earle. She’s running for mayor of Charlotte. But Ingram’s two articles this weekend make it clear her finances are nowhere near ready for primetime.
Friday, Ingram had this follow-up on three area lawmakers – Earle, House Dem Drew Saunders, and Dem Senator Malcolm Graham All three were on a list of lawmakers who, Ingram found, had failed to account for substantial piles of campaign cash.
Then Saturday, Ingram had this story on Beverly Earle’s checkered financial past. Turns out the long-time lawmaker has been sued multiple times for failure to pay her debts. One lawsuit has been outstanding for more than a year. If she wins the mayoral race, Earle would oversee the city’s 1.6 million dollar budget.
The local Dem chair's reaction left me scratching my head.
"Told Friday of the lawsuits against Earle, Mecklenburg Democratic Party chair David Erdman said they sound minor. He praised Earle for paying the two oldest judgments and planning to resolve the recent one.
"'What I hear is a citizen who pays her debts, and that is creditable,' Erdman said."
Last I heard, lenders usually don’t sue you if you’re paying your debts.
Incentives: the aftermath
Saturday, the N&O’s Jonathan Cox explained who decides incentives deals, and how – namely, political appointees in closed-door meetings. Nice piece. The AP had a similar piece on the same topic today.
On a related note...
Look Ma, no incentives: the N&O’s Vicki Lee Parker reports Kellogg has opted to expand production at its Cary factory by 180 jobs – without any blandishments from the county or the state.
You could argue that Cary shouldn't need incentives because its infrastructure and workforce already make it more attractive to business than other areas of the state. But that’s also grounds for the argument that the state ought to be spending its money on infrastructure and workforce, not incentives.
And my weekend favorite
Comments? Drop me a line.
